VICE Travels Through Sunset Boulevard's History

Vice’s new “Streets” series documents some of the major city’s longest (literally) and most influential roads. This round, journalist Karley Sciortino gives an in-depth look at the one street that personifies Los Angeles as a whole, Sunset Boulevard, in an attempt to dispel the silver screen’s portrayal of our city and hone in on both its subtle and blatant complexities. Sunset Boulevard stretches from east inland to the west coast, passing by pockets of conflicting cultures and classes: the affluent and afflicted. She starts her journey through the street’s history where it all started, Olivera Street, all the way through the coast’s Pacific Palisades, stopping to talk to community influencers from the likes of food writer Jonathan Gold to a former Echo Park gang member to a police officer turned call girl. What ensues is an understanding of LA’s delicate and constantly-evolving ecosystem—a firsthand account of gentrification, law influence, racism, the birth and death of cultures, and how it all came to pass. Check out the informative videos on LA’s infamous street.